Conventional hummingbird feeders are designed to store and dispense liquids, typically mixtures of sugar and water. Such mixtures are widely used as substitutes for the natural floral nectar consumed by hummingbirds in the wild. It is known, however, that in warm climates, mixtures of sugar and water exhibit a tendency to ferment and provide a media for the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew. The results of the chemical reaction and these growths can endanger the health of the birds being fed.
In order to address this problem, some prior art feeders are subdivided into multiple components which can be disassembled in order to accommodate cleaning of parts contaminated by mold and mildew. The difficulty with these feeders, however, is that they tend to leak along joints between components defining the liquid reservoirs. This can be particularly troublesome when the feeders are exposed to windy conditions tending to swing them about their vertical axes of suspension. The resulting leakage of the liquid sugar mixture onto the underlying ground area and surrounding surfaces attracts bees, which in turn can pose a hazard to humans in the vicinity of the feeders. Other prior art feeders seek to avoid leakage problems by resorting to predominantly unitary designs. In many respects, however, this approach is counterproductive, particularly since it compromises or negates cleaning and proper maintenance.